A 14-year-old boy was washed away in a storm water drain late Sunday evening following heavy rain across the district. The incident occurred when the boy, identified as M. Mohammad Azad of Narayana Nagar, and two of his relatives were returning home in a two-wheeler around 10 p.m. when it was raining. The road and drainage channel near his residence was overflowing. Azad while getting down from the vehicle slipped into the overflowing drainage channel and was washed away.
Police, fire and rescue services personnel, corporation and revenue officials have launched efforts to trace Azad, a class X student. They continued their initiative in the Tirumanimuthar river flowing across the city after the break of dawn, but could not trace the boy. They also fire service and corporation personnel demolished some parts of the drainage channel to drain and divert the water to trace the boy.
Meanwhile, heavy rainfall lashed Salem city and other parts of the district from late Sunday evening till the small hours of Monday inundating the residential localities in many low-lying areas and affecting the movement of traffic on the main thoroughfares.
Salem city alone recorded 13.38 cm (113.8 mm.) rainfall in the last 24 hours that ended at 8 a.m. on Monday, followed by the hill station of Yercaud which experienced 11.68 cm (111.8 mm.) rainfall during the same period.
The areas of Narayana Nagar; Peramanur; Sankar nagar; Kichipalayam; Johnshonpettai; Seelanayakkanpatti; Kondalampatti; Ammapettai; Pachapatti were flooded. Rain water entered many houses in the residential localities.. As the rainfall continued, the residents could not drain the water and had to spend a sleepless night.
With the supply channel to Kumaragiri lake carrying heavy flow of water, the surplussing water surrounded more than 300 houses at Pachapatti Ashok Nagar. As there was no let up, many residents gathered on the main road for the arrival of the corporation staff for draining the water.
The residents of Reddiyur Sriram Nagar, Guhai Pulikuthi street, Ammapettai Bharathiar street, Jothi theatre road, new street, Paavendar nagar, too faced similar situation and many of them took refuge in the residences of their relatives. The mixing of the overflowing drainage water with the rain water posed severe health problem.
The rainwater flowing from the Uthumalai flooded the Salem-Namakkal highway affecting the flow of traffic. Similarly, movement of vehicles was affected on the Sivathapuram road due to the stagnation of more than five ft water under the railway sub-way. The vehicles proceeding on the Sivathapuram road were diverted via Seelanayakkanpatti and Neikarapatti on Monday.
The godown of the Tamil Nadu Warehousing Corporation at Shevvaipet was also marooned and the water was pumped using motor pumps to save the stock of crops. A few huts suffered damages in Ambedkara nagar in Periyar arch area.
Following widespread rainfall on the Yercaud hills, almost all the 62 tribal villages went without power since late Sunday evening.
Agitations
The agitated residents organised demonstration in three centres in the district demanding immediate steps for desilting and renovating supply channels and drainages. The residents of Narayanan Nagar organised agitation in Kalarampatti auto stand.
Similarly the cadre of the Socialist Democratic Party of India and the local public organised picketing in Singamethai area. The residents of Ambedkar Nagar too staged demonstration.
The following are the other chief amounts of rainfall in the district: Kdaiyampatti 32.2 mm.; Omalur 30 mm.; Kariyakovil 17 mm.; Vazhappadi 10 mm.; Mettur 5.2 mm.; Edappadi 4.4 mm. and Sankagiri 3.4 mm.
